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Every day, conservation-led travel company &Beyond seeks to leave our world a better place through our ethos of Care of Land, Care of Wildlife and Care of People. Find out more about our model of sustainable travel and listen to the stories of the people who dedicate themselves to wildlife conservation, caring for rural communities and managing large tracts of protected land and ocean.
Light a campfire, and everyone's a storyteller. Join us for some thought provoking and beyond fireside chats.
Speaker 2:Hello, and welcome to leave our world a better place. My name is Kasia, and today I'll be speaking to Andrea Perez Hoyos, creative director at Adriana Hoyos. Andrea will be speaking to us about the inspiration behind the design for the new and beyond Galapagos Explorer. Hello, Andrea, and welcome to our podcast. Thank you so much for taking the time to come and chat with us about our exciting new project in the Galapagos.
Speaker 3:Hi, Kash. I know it's a great pleasure for me to be here with you sharing about this fabulous project.
Speaker 2:Andrea, you're going to chat to us a little bit about the design of of the and beyond Galapagos x Explorer, our new expeditions yacht, as a representative of Adriana Hoyos, who did all of the the design for it. Before we start talking about the yacht itself, could you just tell us a little bit about the company, its background, and the position that you hold as creative director?
Speaker 3:Yes. Absolutely. So the company was founded exactly thirty years ago. We're celebrating our thirtieth year this coming September. It's a family owned business founded by both my parents, Adriana Hoyos and Eduardo, my father, who until this day are very active in the company as CEO and principal roles.
Speaker 3:The company actually started as an interior design studio where Adriana, my mother, saw she's always been fascinated about in her designs complementing by beautiful pieces of furniture, lightning, and decorative elements. So after a few years, her and my dad decided that they had to manufacture their own furniture. And it's a funny story how it all started because it was actually on an airplane where they were having some gin and tonics, to having a creative conversation, which is very common in my family. And they came out with a napkin and Adriana started drawing her first chair from the Cocoa collection. So back in the day, our first furniture collection was called Coco made out of coconut shells harvested in Ecuador.
Speaker 3:So it's all been from that day on, it's all been a beautiful journey because nowadays, we employ more than 300 people between people who work at our furniture factory, our design studio, and our furniture showrooms. Nowadays, we are exporting about 300 containers per year to about 20 different countries. So it's a it's a lovely story about how Adriana Agios started, and nowadays, it's, I would say, a very recognized international company. I am the creative director now. I am an interior designer.
Speaker 3:I had my studies in The United States. And after ten years now, I hold a position of giving the creative direction for most of our Latin American projects and also our furniture collections. We work as a team with Adriana, my mother, to spark the the first ideas of each project. And then from now from then on, sorry, I work with my design studio in Quito, Ecuador to launch all those ideas. And Adriana is at the Coral Gables flagship store in Miami holding the team over there.
Speaker 3:So I think it's a it's a great mix between experience and innovation, and we love to be Latin American designers exporting all of our ideas, you know, worldwide and, of course, locally in our country as well.
Speaker 2:It's a really, really lovely background story about the company as well. And I know at n beyond, we really love working with small sort of family owned companies, but definitely with local designers and and people who who have a sense of the destination. I'd really love to hear from you. You know, as a company, how did you first become aware of N Beyond? And what attracted you to work on the project, of refurbishing the Expeditions Yacht, the N Beyond Galapagos Explorer?
Speaker 3:So about and beyond, I love reading about traveling blogs. And on one of the blogs, I saw that there was this huge talk about the giraffe manor that I know Ambion has a relationship with. And I fell in love with the concept of conservation and luxury travel. And that just really at that moment when I read that, actually, I had I just came back from a trip from South Africa, and I said, I how did I not explore, you know, go to Nairobi and all these places? But in any case, I fell in love with this idea, and I said, oh, I I really wish one day in Ecuador, you know, we are invited to a project like that.
Speaker 3:And over the years, we have worked with projects with a similar, I should say, background. But what really touched and what I how we really connected with and beyond and and its first project, the Galapagos Explorer, is that in our core values of the company, we celebrate sense of place. So it was like love at first sight, I should say, with with this vision and the idea, you know, as I mentioned before, nowadays, we cannot just look for traveling as a source of, I should say, entertainment, but to connect to the values of of either the company, you know, the the hospitality company that we're traveling with or the destination. So I think that was the very first great link between us.
Speaker 2:It's so important to find those companies that share a similar vision in a way of approaching things. And for example, I listened to to a video on one of your social media accounts where I listened to you speak about using nature as an inspiration for design, and that's something that's really so close to our hearts as well. It's such a great concept. And, of course, you mentioned the the sense of place as well. What's the kind of process?
Speaker 2:So, you know, I know for us, it's also very, very important that each of our lodges or each of our properties has a has a really, really true and authentic sense of place. And it's obviously something in my that you bear in mind in your design. How is the process how do you draw inspiration for the interiors? You know, thinking about things like sense of place, using local themes, nature's inspiration. Can you talk us through that process a bit, please?
Speaker 3:For this creative process with the Galapagos Yad, we had to keep three different pillars in mind. One, nature as as an inspiration. How can we translate what our guests will be exploring and seeing outside the yacht into the interiors, but making it, I should say, a little bit more romantic. So if you see around the corridors, for example, you'll see these beautiful illustrations of the animal species of the Galapagos, and
Speaker 4:you
Speaker 3:will you will be reminded if you spotted, I don't know, a blue footed booby or a Galapagos shark or a Galapagos tortoise as well of how, you know, this is really a resemblance of that. The second design pillar that we kept in mind is that many of the guests maybe don't have a chance to explore Ecuador as a country, and they just travel, you know, exclusively to the islands. So we wanted to bring a little bit of that warmth and that importance to the to the yacht. So so, again, you will see handwoven elements and hand woven artwork and tapestries and and whatnot. And so with that said, people that haven't been to the Galapagos, they're islands that have been for many years just immigrated by different cultures and there's not a lot of locally sourced artisans.
Speaker 3:So we have to work with artisans from, you know, mainland. And so that was a very important pillar. And the third pillar of of inspiration or for our design process was that, of course, we're in a yacht. It's marine design. You have to bear in mind very different ergonomics and comfort, you know, points of view.
Speaker 3:So all the furniture had to be very specific for its use. So once we decided on those three pillars, it was a very beautiful process of bringing in images. I have been to the islands, I don't know, maybe 10 times, so I really feel connected with the with the space and and also the people that work with me, designers and the team, you know, brought all these different ideas. So it was a beautiful composition of elements that had to also fit in this vision of and beyond that I love of how vintage or worn out elements should be part of the design. And about that, I'll tell you some stories later on of of what we had to do with the team to really give it that feel and sense of boat of exploration, I should say.
Speaker 2:You've spoken a little bit about locally sourced elements, and it's something that's very important to us in terms of, you know, in terms of authenticity and in terms of sustainability as well. Can you give some examples of the locally sourced elements that you utilized in the design? Perhaps, whether it's textiles or decorative elements or what were the things that you were able to bring through in your work on the Exploro?
Speaker 3:Yes. Absolutely, Cass. So, well, first of all, the all the furniture was locally made here in our factory in Ecuador. So that's something that I'm I'm really proud of because from the sustainable standpoint sustainability standpoint, sorry, we are producing everything just very, very close to the port where it was installed. But besides that, we specifically designed some unique elements.
Speaker 3:For example, the dining chairs in the main dining area of the yacht, they were all the backrests were handwoven by artisans here in Quito and that we had to really explain and make sure that they were getting the sense of what we were wanting to create. And we used a a natural fiber to make sure that, you know, it's it's all within our, also, sustainability purposes. Another element is some of the beds in the suites not all of the suites, but some of the suites have these beds that were custom made for for the yacht and that also have some woven raffias to its headrest. Also, the artwork, a lot as I as I mentioned before. So for example, in the dining room area, we wanted to give the our inspiration was that the how when you're diving in the Galapagos or maybe snorkeling, it's really just such a magical world under the sea.
Speaker 3:And I remember this one time that all these manta rays and this all these rays just were I was in deep waters, and they were swimming above us. And I said, how can we translate this into the dining area? So we designed this handwoven, again, handwoven so that we could do it locally, shapes of the fins of the rays so that all of those little elements that we thought about where we had to source them locally because there's such a fantastic world of artisans here in Ecuador that we wanted to bond between the the inspiration, the design, and then the sourcing, of course.
Speaker 2:I really love that, you know, the way that you bring your own experiences in the Galapagos into the design. And that's such a beautiful way to of thinking about it. It's really, really lovely. Andrea, was there a specific color signature that you chose to use for the interiors? And, you know, how did you decide on it, how did you come to choose those specific colors?
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah. So about color palettes, this was, I should say, it came out very naturally. Very, I should say, organic because it could it could seem very, how do I say, obvious that the blue is a color that it's dominant in the Galapagos. Right? But we saw we thought about how can we bring blue as a base a base color and then, you know, starting to add different contrast of pops of orange and yellow and some greens.
Speaker 3:Because quite honestly, the I I should say when I was looking at other projects from and beyond and especially in Africa, you know, it's a it's a lot of earthy tones and because of how nature, you know, just brings that to you. But in the Galapagos, it's amazing how you go to an island and you see this, like, volcanic black stone. And then you go to a different island and you see these red mountains, and you just don't understand of all these chemical processes of nature that create, you know, this this color palette. So we drew from from different colors from the experiences, but bearing in mind that this is a yacht that all the spaces are gonna be connected, we decided that blue in different tones and shades. There's a little bit of, like, a navy, ocean blue, and we have more of, like, a powder, cold blue in some areas.
Speaker 3:And one of my favorite favorite spots on on the yacht is the main lounge area where we have this blue, very large sectional sofa that was inspired by the shape of a sea lion, and that has a very strong blue fabric to it. So I think since the moment guests arrive, they're gonna be seeing these the the blue basically as a as a connector of the whole symphony of the boat.
Speaker 2:Now from everything that I've heard, the design of of this particular yacht is very, very different to what a lot of Enbion's competitors have done and the other ships that that are in the Galapagos. Can you talk a little bit you know, obviously, you've also worked on I think your company had works on on cruise ships in particular as well. Can you talk a little bit about that that sense of nature and authenticity and how you used that to to make the design stand out from other work that you've done before or other examples of ships in the area? And, you know, what was especially fresh or original about the way that you approached your process for this for this project?
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah. Because I absolutely love this point and this question because as designers of cruise ships, we've been on several projects where we've been asked, and the vision has been to create this very high end luxury design experience, which I very much so respect. But in the case of and beyond Galapagos Explorer, the the challenge was I think it was larger because you have a fine line as a designer, I believe. You have a fine line between something that can have sense of place or that can feel very folkloric. And by that, I mean, you know, we have to be we're in the luxury and and high end market.
Speaker 3:So we know that guests really love storytelling and they appreciate sustainability and locally sourced, but that could easily translate into just very themed and folkloric spaces. So that was my biggest challenge as a designer and as as the creative director of this project is to make sure that it all fit in within a very easy to digest symphony. And how does this differ differentiate from other projects that that we've done is that we were in in all the meetings, you know, with with the and beyond executives, and we were being asked, you know, where does this come from? What what story is this gonna tell? So I just really love how the properties are a language of the company itself and how the design of the properties become a very I should say, like, it's a main a main element to sell because nowadays, you know, you can go to the most exclusive destination of all and you can stay in a in a beautiful hotel, but that it doesn't speak the language of the of the place.
Speaker 3:So authenticity and sense of place, it cannot only be, for example, in the dishware or it can not only be, you know, in a brochure that you put in the bedroom for guests to read or, you know, it has to be this whole three sixty five senses experience because I know that even working with the chef and with all the staff that is gonna be taking care of guests in the yacht is is the same language of how can we enhance the experience to another level. And I am with our team, we're really really proud of when we finished the the whole yacht that you when you once you went on sorry, you need someone to tell you the story. The elements speak by itself, and that's a really big challenge that for us I think also regarding when you're designing a a yacht, a boat, a cruise ship, you you have to coordinate everything so perfectly so that it fits, so that it arrives in time so that, you know, Galapagos navigating through the Galapagos is is serious. You're gonna, you know, you're gonna be some days, it's gonna be very calm and some some days, the sea is gonna be very the word is not aggressive, but it it can be very hard to to to navigate.
Speaker 3:And so we have to make sure that everything is fitted and and and fixed. And that's not easy when you're trying to design something so, I should say, artistic.
Speaker 2:It's definitely been our first yacht design. And I think I find that particularly fascinating is how do you combine that that practicality and the usability and and the luxury element. It's something that we balance so often at our lodges. But here, you've got the additional element of having the space restrictions and, you know, needing to fix things because it is a yacht. So can you give me a couple of examples of how you brought this this functional element to to the design?
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah. So there is different I can give you various examples, but one of them, as I may as I talked before about the main lounge area, this is a place where guests are gonna be able to relax during the the the afternoons after exploring, but it's also gonna be a space where the guides of each tour of each day are gonna tell you the, you know, the day plan. So it it's a very versatile space with storage all around because, you know, we have to keep in so many things between life vests and and books and storage for for for the operation as well. So that is a space that I really love how versatile it becomes. We also had to make storage underneath the beds so that the luggage from the guests will be kept there and make sure that the beds still look very, you know, high end luxurious and and comfortable for for the guests.
Speaker 3:Another story and and and and funny thing is that we were seeing at the the handrail of the staircase that there is in the boat, and we wanted even to transform that. How can we transform it into that and beyonds, you know, vision and philosophy, basically, design driven philosophy? And we took one of the artisans to the port and he handwove it in place so that, you know, that feeling in that sense when you're going down the stairs and you're reminded that, you know, people and crafts have been part of the of the boat. So these little elements, I think, make a huge difference, and I'm just so happy to be able to share with you because maybe you don't see it and maybe it's not even noticeable for other people, but maybe through this storytelling, we can, you know, make sure some some of the guests might even hear this and say, wow. I now I understand.
Speaker 3:And once they go up the stairs and down the stairs. And other elements of functionality, of course, with the furniture, I I should say, nowadays, you see so many inspirational pieces of furniture that you do really wanna bid or you wanna, you know, place in your projects, but we have a huge responsibility with ergonomics within our clients and and their guests. So it it was one of our biggest challenges to make sure that it's gonna be a furniture that, of course, lasts, that has the quality, that it has the ergonomics, and that is also gonna be easy to move and to maintain by the staff. The fabrics that we used, as much as we wanted to include, you know, locally woven textiles. Unfortunately, in some cases, we couldn't do so because we have to keep in mind that the the the yacht is not gonna be you know, it's different than a hotel where you can, you know, dry clean some of the fabric and whatnot.
Speaker 3:So I think it that was also something that as a team, we're very proud of, that you might have a feeling of some of the elements being maybe, you know, hand hand on and hand woven or or locally sourced. But actually, we had to to source from other places that were gonna give us both of the needs that we had, you know, on on one side, all the the aesthetics, but as well as the function.
Speaker 2:You know, it's so much to think about and so much to balance. It's really and the fact that in the middle of all of that, you're able to keep in mind those really, really personalized little details like the handrail you just told me about. It's really extraordinary to go to that level.
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah, Kaz. And also now that I I just remembered looking at the photos right now, the the hardware that we use on the nightstands and on the on the wardrobes of each room were also handwoven, and some of them had to to also been woven on-site because there wasn't enough time for us to send them back and forth. Oh, wow.
Speaker 2:So it was a it was a question of bringing the craftsman there to work. Yes. Absolutely. Now, unfortunately, I haven't seen the yacht yet myself. But but having seen the photographs, you know, there were some elements that really stood out to me.
Speaker 2:And one of those was that beautiful vintage map wallpaper that you've used in in some some parts of the of the yacht. And I think, you know, now having heard the way that you talk about about the language of a place and about the way that you weave a story, it makes more it makes even more sense to me. But I'd love to hear the story of that wallpaper and what made you choose it.
Speaker 3:So for the the maps in the bedrooms, because I should say Galapagos is is just so many stories about animals and all the the species of plants and how the because all the islands are have been a product of volcanic eruptions. But then you also have this very special background to the islands and it's the historic part of it. How the islands were discovered and how different, very unique characters of our history came into the Galapagos Islands, you know, how Charles Darwin based his theory of evolution in the islands and and so many other cultures like German cultures and Spaniard cultures and even British cultures coming into the islands. They all take a little you know, make these islands even more magical. So we also wanted to represent that, and we understand that guests and clients from and beyond just really really love to understand as well the geographic part of of the properties.
Speaker 3:So within the team, we we talked to an artist who could represent what would be a historic map of the Galapagos. And because we had to we couldn't use an original piece, of course, because we wanted to transform it into a wallpaper. And and this was also a vision from and beyond, I should say. We worked really closely to to your executives, they were asking us how can we just blow up an image of the of the map and we could tell stories from there. And and so that's how this all came out.
Speaker 3:And I actually it it's funny because as a designer, you know, maybe sometimes you have a very specific inspiration and you already have your mood boards and your design process almost finished. And when you talk to clients, and especially in this case, I just love how in every meeting, we would schedule an hour or two hour meetings and all of a sudden it's like, hey, we're in South Africa, it's time to go to bed or we're in England, it's time for tea. And we're in the other part of the world, we're like, oh my gosh, we just spent four hours in this meeting. But because really all those details are what makes a difference of staying in a regular, you know, luxury property and then then and beyond. And myself, I've never stayed in one of your properties, but it's just it's just been fascinating to work as a team to create what I think and what I've from from my understanding is a very special and original, I should say, design in the Galapagos.
Speaker 2:Well, I have to admit, for somebody who's never stayed at one of our lodges, you speak as though you know the brand and the feel of it inside and out. So I think we'll have to make a plan to get you there as well.
Speaker 3:Yeah. Thank you. I would love to. I've I've always, you know, been searching for myself. I I I think of my husband and I love to travel.
Speaker 3:And now that we have young children, it's oh, traveling, as I said before, know, you have to see the purpose and and what am am I gonna learn in that trip and not just only, you know, relax in in in if you're gonna choose a place even to relax, for me as a designer, it has to bring something into my inspiration or to my Yes. Work because I just really love how I can bring inspiration into my projects.
Speaker 2:Now just sort of on that sense of purpose, I wanted to go back to something that you mentioned a bit earlier, which was your own your own furniture making and and woodsmilling workshop in Quito. No. Sustainability responsibility is something that that, you know, that's key to us, and I think it's it's very much from everything you've said, it's very much at the heart of Adeana Hoyos as well. Can you tell us a bit about the responsible practices that you that that you employ in your in your workshop and in creating the pieces that you do?
Speaker 3:Yes. So for for us, since since the company started, sustainability has a very has had a very important and impact. Since we work with so much wood, you know, we have a responsibility to give back to nature. And just a few years ago, we decided to buy our own forests of seiki. That's the wood that we use.
Speaker 3:It's a wood that is only local in Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil because it has a very it's a very hard wood that is only that can only grow in places where there's a lot of humidity and in any case, we we bought more than 100 hectares of Seiki wood forest. So our process is completely vertical because we are responsible from the wood sourcing, then the preparation of the wood coming into our factory. And from then, also, we we've tried to develop with local companies most of our our prime materials. So for example, the foam that we use is also locally sourced. And when all the lacquers and all the the finishes that we use, we make sure also that don't have a a big component of of gassing into the environment.
Speaker 3:But for us, sustainability also means lasting. And I have this beautiful story to tell because since the company started three thirty years ago, I've seen pieces of furniture from Adrian Aglio's collection passed on through generations. And as as designers, it's not only the quality that counts for a piece to be timeless, it's also the design. So when we're designing, we're thinking about how is this gonna how is this gonna piece gonna age or how is this gonna main maintain its timelessness, I should say, so that it still combines or fits into more modern designs. So when we design our furniture collections, we think about how can this new chair be easily combined with, you know, a table that was made, I don't know, eight collections ago, so maybe twelve, fifteen years ago.
Speaker 3:And that is also a way that that we can always, you know, try to, as as as and Beyonce's, make the world a better place. Of course, with our people, we couldn't the company couldn't be what it is nowadays and the designs couldn't be what it what they are and where they've reached by its people. We promote our Ecuadorian artisans into experts on what they do. And nowadays, with so many opportunities in the digital world, we see the younger generation sometimes, they're not attracted to be doing handwork hand done, you know, work. And for us, that's also a huge responsibility on how to pass this on into new generations so that there's opportunities of of of work and of progress there.
Speaker 3:We in our facilities, we have different parts where people can relax. We have this we're also conscious about the women that work with us. And myself as a mother and Adriana, of course, we have we have different spots for for women, for example, for even breastfeeding because we're in a culture that it's so beautiful that we have mothers bring bring their own babies sometimes to be best breastfed. So so I think, overall, for us, our sustainability pillars lay on how we take care of our people. We take care of our products, and we take care of our clients that receive our products.
Speaker 3:And as a design studio nowadays working globally for us to if we're working in a project in The Dominican Republic or we're working on a project in The Bahamas, Peru, we try to, as much as we can, work with locally sourced products and elements. So that is also something really important for us.
Speaker 2:That's really great. I can definitely see why you were chosen and such similar, know, philosophies to and beyond. Andrea, before we finish, I'm going to ask you a question. It might not be a very fair question because I know it's really, really difficult to answer. Is there one particular element of the design for the yacht that that that is your favorite or that you are the most proud of?
Speaker 3:Yeah. That is hard. It's like it's almost like when they ask me as a mother if you have a favorite child, it's like, of course not. They're all my favorites. But me,
Speaker 2:it's it's when somebody asks me which is my favorite and beyond lodge, I don't know how to how to answer. So I understand.
Speaker 3:There you go. Yeah. I should say so I am a I am a person that is driven by challenge. I've been an athlete myself for for almost my entire life, so I've always thought about what's the next tournament or what's the next challenge. And in this case, it's actually the main lounge that I've talked about so much.
Speaker 3:That whole main lounge and dining area gave us some beautiful headaches on how to how it's gonna be how it's gonna be functional, but how is it gonna tell a story, and how is it gonna look timeless. But at the same time, it's gonna be a place where people want to spend time because some something that I learned when I traveled on this type of yacht or or or or little cruise ships is that at the end of the seven or ten days that you're in there, you actually come out with friends as well that you met there. And so we as as much as the rooms are very comfortable in the Galapagos Explorer as well as the outdoor spaces, the alfresco dining that we have bar area as well, for me, it's the connections that you make in your trips as well. So in this area, it was how can we make a a social space functional for for educational moment as well and how it can be a place for people to just relax and have a cup of tea and the design be a huge impact aesthetically as well. So I should say that would be my my favorite because of the challenge that it was for the team.
Speaker 3:It
Speaker 2:sounds really, really beautiful. I definitely hope I get have the chance to see it sometime soon. Andrea, thank you so much. It's been really, really lovely talking to you and getting a glimpse into into what you do at Adriana Hoyos and and also into the thoughts and the processes that went into into the design that you did for us. So thank you for sharing that with us.
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah, Kaz. It's been it's been great. I love talking talking to you. Thank you for your invitation again. I just I'm very excited.
Speaker 3:It's the first time that I've been invited from to speak about a project from our clients, and I just hope that, you know, maybe some of your guests will will hear this podcast before coming into into the yacht, and they fell fall in love with the different design elements that were incorporated. So thank you again for having me, and I I hope that one day we we can meet in person, maybe in the Galapagos Explorer or in another project from NCL.
Speaker 2:If not, maybe in Kenya. Maybe it'll be Giraffe Manor after all.
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah. That would be fabulous.
Speaker 2:Okay. Thank you again, Andrea.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. Bye bye.
Speaker 4:Thank you for listening to leave our world a better place. Don't forget to subscribe to make
Speaker 5:sure that you never miss an episode. If you'd like
Speaker 4:to find out more about and beyond, please log on
Speaker 2:to our website at andbeyond.com.